"Gibson's view of a very probable downside future was a
satirical criticism of current trends. Somehow, it touched a
nerve and triggered a cascade of intelligent inquiry and practical
experimentation. There's no end of discussion -- which ranges
from literary to practical to psychological -- about the implications
of our new found powers. The fact is that we are building another
reality."
-- Henry W.Targowski
William Gibson is an American science fiction author living
in Vancouver, Canada. He was born near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina,
USA, in 1948. Gibson is married with Deborah Gibson, and they
have 2 children.
Gibson has been writing short stories since the 70's, and he
had a few vague ideas as early as 1976, the year he wrote his
first published story 'Fragments Of A Hologram Rose', which mixes
end-of-an-affair melancholy with an early take on virtual reality.
But it wasn't quite working, so he gave up and spent 1977 buying
punk 45s.
Gibson's first novel, Neuromancer,
appeared in 1984. Neuromancer very soon gained a cult status by
being one of the first novels in a new science
fiction genre called cyberpunk.
Gibson is the coiner of the word cyberspace.
He used it for the first time in his story "Burning
Chrome" in 1982.
The cyberpunk literature of the eighties had a very pessimistic
view of the future, predicting the rise of multinational capitalistic
corporations, and showing the negative effects the forthcoming
new technologies may have on everyday human life. Although it
has been said that cyberpunk as a literary genre is already dead,
the ideas William Gibson presented in his novels are now appearing
in many other contexts - both artistic, sociological and technical.
Bibliography
- Neuromancer (1984)
- Spawl one. Cyberpunk science fiction book which has become
the bible of cyberpunk.
- Count Zero (1986)
- Sprawl two. Cyberpunk science fiction.
- Mona Lisa Overdrive (1988)
- Sprawl three. Cyberpunk science fiction.
- Burning Chrome (1986)
- Cyberpunk science fiction.
- Virtual Light (1993)
- Cyberpunk science fiction.
- Idoru (1996)
- Cyberpunk science fiction.
- All Tomorrow's Parties
(1999)
- Cyberpunk science fiction.
- The Difference Engine
(1990)
- Steampunk fiction. In collaboration with Bruce
Sterling
Gibson has also one shorter story, Agrippa,
which he published in 1992 after his father's death.
Gibson has written the X-Files episodes Kill
Switch (1998) and First
Person Shooter (2000) with Tom Maddox.
References
- William Gibson FAQ
- Compiled by Manuel Derra.
- An Interview with William
Gibson
- Conducted by Larry McCaffery.
Links
